Chuck Mack: Our trip to a family reunion and sightseeing - part two

Craig  The next morning, we got an early start and drove to Cody, Wyo.

Our first stop was at the Cody Museum, which we found out is actually five museums in one.

It took us most of the day just going through the Fire Arms Museum.

Then we went to find a campground to spend the night.

In the afternoon, we went to spend the rest of the day in "Old Trail Town."

What a wonderful place that is. It consists of old buildings gathered from all around Wyoming and Montana.

The buildings were dismantled on site and then moved to the museum location, then reassembled and refurbished and stocked with an extensive collection of memorabilia from the Wyoming frontier and authentic Indian artifacts; just like they were when they were in actual use.

The place is set up just like an actual old-time town, with the buildings sitting side-by-side on a wide street.

I don't know how many buildings there are, but the street is about two normal city blocks long.

Gosh, when in doubt, read the brochure.

I just read the brochure and it says there are 26 buildings, which date from 1879 to 1901. A lot of nicely refurbished old buildings to visit.

It's certainly worth visiting.

Sitting out where the street would be is the biggest collection of old horse-drawn wagons one could ever hope to see in one spot - about 100 according to the brochure.

Behind all the buildings is an assortment of old horse-drawn farm equipment.

That, too, is the largest assortment of that kind of equipment one could ever hope to see in one place.

Nathaniel really enjoyed that place because he was acting as our tour guide.

Mike and I were busy taking pictures of the buildings and farm equipment.

We'll certainly have to go back and visit Cody again, as there is way too much to see in one day.

Gosh, I almost forgot an important part.

The grave of Jeremiah Johnson, better known as "Liver Eating Johnson," is located in Old Trail Town.

I don't remember the entire story, but his remains were relocated to this place from the original burial site.

The graves of several other famous and not so famous outlaws were also relocated to this fascinating place.

Old Trail Town is the results of one man's dream.

This man, "Bob Edgar," who got his start in life being born and growing up in a homestead cabin, realized that all the old buildings, farm equipment, etc. from the Homestead Era were quickly vanishing from the face of the earth.

He talked someone into donating some vacant Wyoming sagebrush land close to Cody.

In the spring of 1967, the work began to gather the historic buildings and relics to be displayed at this site on the west side of Cody.

This was the area Buffalo Bill and his associates had chosen for the first town site of "Cody City" in 1895.

Bob worked diligently for the next 30 years building his dream into a thing of reality.

Our own Lou Wyman of "Wyman's Living History Museum" has the same thing in mind: Lou is busy preserving history for future generations to enjoy.